warhammerfantasyfandomcom-20200222-history
Caledor II
Caledor II ''the Warrior, born '''Menlaeth' was the fourth Phoenix King and son of Caledor I. He was considered arrogant and impulsive but a great warrior. He personally killed Snorri Halfhand, son of High King Gotrek Starbreaker during the War of the Beard. However, he would later be slain by King Gotrek in recompense, after Snorri's cousin Morgrim slew Imladrik, the High Elf's brother. Age of the Warrior Caledor I had perished, but his legacy remained. For his successor, he left a strong army, a secure line of fortresses in the north and the most powerful navy in the world. When the Council of Princes chose Caledor's son to succeed him, continuity was foremost in their minds -- to an Elf people desperate for stability, Caledor II promised a familiar hand at the tiller. Alas, Caledor II shared few of his father's traits. Where his father had been wise, Caledor II was foolish. Where the father had been a great general, the son was rash and impetuous. As the Elves returned to the Old World in strength, trade between the two realms grew once more in IV, 10. Whilst rumors of the Elven civil war had reached the ears of the Dwarfs, they didn't really understand the situation. Reaving and kinslaying were completely alien concepts to them, and no Dwarf would ever break his oath to his liege lord. Unfortunately, Malekith had been shown the secret trade routes of the Dwarfs during his period as Bel Shanaar's ambassador, and he now used that knowledge to his own benefit. Dark Elves, garbed as warriors of Ulthuan, fell upon the Dwarf caravans in IV, 193, seizing their goods and leaving tokens of their passage that the Dwarfs could not help but trace back to the Elves of Ulthuan. Suspicion fell instantly upon the High Elves, and High King Gotrek Starbreaker demanded recompense. When word of this demand reached Caledor in IV, 198, his reply was immediate and undiplomatic. He sent a message saying that the Phoenix King did not answer demands but granted pleas. In turn, King Gotrek sent a blunt reply saying he made pleas to neither Elf nor gods and demanded twice the recompense because of the implied insult. Caledor sent the Dwarf ambassador back with his beard shaved off and said that if Gotrek wanted compensation he should come to Ulthuan and collect it. Thus, in IV 201, began the War of the Beard, born from the dangerous combination of honour and stiff-necked pride. Dwarf armies quickly laid siege to the trading city of Tor Alessi, and Gotrek swore an oath that he would have his money or its weregeld price in Elf blood, or else he would shave his head. It was a mighty oath. His ambassador had already become a Troll Slayer from the shame of having his beard shaved. The Dwarfs were determined that their king should not endure a similar fate. Upon hearing of the Dwarf attack, the Phoenix King was outraged. He instantly dispatched an expedition to relieve Tor Alessi. Indeed, so mighty was the fleet, and so great was the army that it bore, that many of the Phoenix King's advisors feared that Ulthuan had been left all but defenseless, should they suffer another attack. Caledor flew into a towering rage and dismissed their fears as groundless. Despite the arrival of Caledor's great host, the war dragged on. The fortress cities of the Dwarfs were virtually impregnable. The dour, stalwart Dwarf troops were quite unlike any foe the Elves had faced before. Displaying the tenacity and stubbornness for which they have become renowned, the Dwarfs simply refused to give up or admit defeat, even when hopelessly outnumbered. For their part, the Dwarfs were astonished by the power of the Elf forces. They had judged the strength of Ulthuan by that of the least of its provinces. The huge armies of knights and disciplined infantry were not what they had expected. Still, in true Dwarf fashion, they were not about to admit to a mistake, especially to an Elf. The war engendered a legacy of hatred and bitterness that was to last for thousands of years. In response to the beard-shaving incident, the vengeful Dwarfs chopped down entire virgin forests simply to spite the Elves. In revenge, the Elves poisoned the tarns and underground lakes from which the Dwarfs drew their water, and a great sickness spread throughout the Worlds Edge Mountains. Both sides fought till nearly their entire military strength was spent. Tired of their lack of success, Caledor II dismissed his generals and took command of the Elven host personally in IV 596. It was his last great mistake -- at the fourteenth siege of Tor Alessi, in IV 597, Caledor II was cut down by King Gotrek, who snatched the Phoenix Crown from his bloodied corpse and took it in payment for the Elves' insolence. With this final victory, the Dwarfs withdrew, claiming their honour was satisfied. Any petitions to return the Phoenix Crown were greeted with an invitation to come and plead for it. The first Phoenix Crown remains in the great vault of Karaz-a-Karak to the present day, an enduring source of festering hatred and recrimination between the two peoples. Timeline * '-2197 IC:' An uneasy peace settles over Ulthuan. The survivors from Tiranoc and what was once Nagarythe start rebuilding their lands. The remaining Elves of Nagarythe, which has become known as the Shadowlands, take up a wandering, nomadic life shunning the trappings of civilization. * '-2188 IC:' Contact is re-established with Dwarfs. Trade returns. * '-2005 IC:' Dark Elf raids begin against Dwarf trading caravans. * '-2000 IC:' Dwarf protests are ignored by Caledor II. Increasing acrimony enters relations between the two races. * '-1997 IC:' The War of the Beard begins. This will eventually exhaust the strength of both empires and lead to ages of bitter feuding. There are many periods of peace where both sides claim victory. * '-1974 IC:' Caledor II personally kills Snorri Halfhand, King Gotrek’s son, before returning to Ulthuan in time for the hunting season. * '-1968 IC:' Morgrim, Snorri’s cousin, kills Caledor's brother Imladrik. * '-1948 IC:' The Dwarfs destroy the Elf colony of Athel Maraya. * '-1602 IC:' Caledor II comes to the Old World to supervise the defeat of the Dwarf kings. * '-1601 IC:' Caledor II killed by Gotrek Starbreaker. The Phoenix Crown is lost. Announcing their victory the Dwarfs retreat to the mountains and refuse to fight any more. As the Elf host is assembled for a suicidal attack on Karaz-a-Karak, news reaches them that the Witch King has once again invaded Ulthuan. Naming Consistency Previously, Caledor II's birth name was thought to be Tythanir, since the son of Caledor I (then Imrik) appears with this name in the novel, Caledor: Tales of The Sundering (2011). Tythanir shows many of the same character traits as Caledor II, including arrogance, petulance, and entitlement. As Tythanir is clearly Imrik's first child, it is generally accepted that Tythanir is a young Caledor II. However, this information comes into question during the novel Master of Dragons (2013), part of the War of Vengeance trilogy. This book refers to Caledor II's birth name as Menlaeth, not Tythanir. Due to Master of Dragons being released later than Caledor, Caledor II's name is now canonically Menlaeth. Source * Warhammer Armies: High Elves (8th Edition) ** pg. 20 * Warhammer Armies: High Elves (7th Edition) ** pg. 24 ** pg. 25 ** pg. 38 * Warhammer Armies: High Elves (6th Edition) ** pg. 56 ** pg. 57 * Warhammer Armies: High Elves (5th Edition) ** pg. 23 ** pg. 24 * Warhammer Armies: High Elves (4th Edition) ** pg. 22 ** pg. 23 * Master of Dragons (Novel) by Chris Wraight ** Chapter 2/Glossary * Caledor (Novel) by Gav Thorpe ** Chapter 2 es:Caledor II el Guerrero Category:Caledor Category:Phoenix King Category:War of the Beard Category:C